Small-scale optoelectronic package - Patent Review 6910812

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated circuitry and optoelectronic packaged assembly, comprising: a transparent insulating substrate having first and second surfaces generally parallel to one another, at least one optoelectronic device bonded to said first surface of the transparent insulating substrate by flip-chip bonds of less than about 25 .mu.m in height, such that said at least one optoelectronic device is optically accessible to optical signals through said substrate; electrical circuit structure at the first surface operatively coupled to the at least one optoelectronic device; at least one optical receiver or transmitter on the second surface of the transparent insulating substrate, wherein said optical receiver or transmitter comprises one or more alignment elements; mechanical alignment members on said second surface of the transparent insulating substrate, for engaging the alignment elements of said optical receiver or transmitter; and at least one alignment reference feature on the first surface of the transparent insulating substrate, wherein an optical path is formed between said optoelectronic device and said optical receiver or transmitter through said transparent insulating substrate, and wherein said optical path is free of any optical lens.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit structure includes components selected from the group consisting of electrical circuit devices and connections.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit structure is formed in a thin silicon layer on the first surface.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit structure is formed in an integrated circuit chip that is flip-chip bonded to the first surface.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mechanical alignment members on said second surface comprise guide pins.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit structure comprises a CMOS circuit.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said substrate is formed of sapphire and the electrical circuit structure comprises an ultrathin silicon-on-sapphire CMOS circuit.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment reference feature comprises at least one alignment mark on the first surface.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment reference feature comprises photolithographically formed indicia.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment reference feature comprises at least one feature of the electrical circuit structure.

11. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a support member.

12. The assembly of claim 11, further comprising a heat sink mounted on said support member.

13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the substrate is secured to the support member by conductive bonds.

14. The assembly of claim 13, wherein the support member has an open area beneath the substrate secured thereto, for optical access to said at least one optoelectronic device.

15. The assembly of claim 14, further comprising a heat sink mounted on said support member.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the heat sink is secured to the support member try adhesive bonds.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the assembly is environmentally sealed by the adhesive bonds securing the heat sink to the support member and by the conductive bonds securing the substrate to the support member.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the mechanical alignment members comprise guide pins extending outwardly from the second surface.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the guide pins are engaged in complementary guide holes of a fiber optic connector.

20. The assembly of claim 18, further comprising electrical contact elements on the support member.

21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the electrical contact elements comprise solder bumps.

22. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the flip-chip bonds are less than about 20 .mu.m in height.

23. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the flip-chip bonds comprise gold-gold bump bonds.

24. An optical/optoelectronic coupling system comprising: an optical fiber disposed in an optical fiber connector, wherein: the optical fiber connector has a first alignment means comprising a pair of guide holes; and the optical fiber is held in a precise positional relationship to the first alignment means; an optoelectronic device mounted on a transparent insulating substrate by flip-chip bonds of less than about 25 .mu.m in height, wherein; the transparent insulating substrate has substantially parallel top and bottom surfaces and is positioned between the optical fiber and the optoelectronic device such that an optical path is provided between the optoelectronic device and the optical fiber through the transparent insulating substrate, passing through the top and bottom surfaces; said optical path is free of any optical lens; the transparent insulating substrate has a second alignment means comprising a pair of guide holes corresponding to the first alignment means; the optoelectronic device is mounted on the transparent insulating substrate in a precise positional relationship to the second alignment means; and alignment members comprising a pair of guide pins complementary to the first and second alignment means, whereby the optical fiber and optoelectronic device are aligned when the alignment members are coupled with the first and second alignment means.

25. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the optoelectronic device is in electrical communication with electrical circuitry on the transparent insulating substrate.

26. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 25, wherein the electrical circuitry is present in a thin silicon layer on the transparent insulating substrate.

27. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 25, wherein the electrical circuitry is flip-chip bonded to the transparent insulating substrate.

28. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the transparent insulating substrate is selected from the group consisting of sapphire and glasses.

29. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the transparent insulating substrate is sapphire and the thin silicon layer is an ultrathin silicon-on-sapphire layer.

30. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the optoelectronic device is selected from the group consisting of lasers, photodetector, and light modulators.

31. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the optical fiber comprises a single mode fiber.

32. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the optical fiber comprises a multimode fiber.

33. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, further comprising an array of optoelectronic devices coupled an array of optical fibers.

34. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the flip-chip bonds are less than about 20 .mu.m in height.

35. The optical/optoelectronic coupling system of claim 24, wherein the flip-chip bonds comprise gold-gold bump bonds.

36. An optoelectronic assembly, comprising: a transparent substrate having first and second surfaces and at least one electrical feature; at least one optoelectronic device attached to the first surface of said transparent substrate by flip-chip bonds of less than about 25 .mu.m in height and in electrical contact with the at least one electrical feature; at least two alignment elements on the substrate; and an optical fiber member including an optical fiber in an optical fiber connector on the second surface of said substrate, wherein the optical fiber connector includes alignment means cooperative with said alignment elements on the substrate, wherein an optical path is formed between the optoelectronic device and the optical fiber through the transparent substrate, and wherein said optical path is free of any optical lens.

37. The optoelectronic assembly of claim 36, wherein the flip-chip bonds are less than about 20 .mu.m in height.

38. The optoelectronic assembly of claim 36, wherein the flip-chip bonds comprise gold-gold bump bonds.